Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/582103
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 7 OCTOBER 2015 Sport 23 Answers to the MaltaToday crossword will be published next Wednesday WEATHER: Fine with increasing high clouds VISIBILITY: Good WIND: West Northwest force 3 to 4 locally force 4 to 5 backing Southwesterly force 3 to 4 SEA: Slight to moderate becoming slight SWELL: Negligible Sea Temp.: 25 °C A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 White to play and mate in four moves A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Last week's solution Sudoku rules are extremely easy: Fill all empty squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear once in each row, column and 9x9 box. SUNNY 28 º C / 21 º C UV INDEX: 6 Today's Weather Chess Sudoku Pursuits Across 1. Joy 8. Isolated 9. Simultaneous firing of artillery 10. Smoked herring 12. High fidelity 14. Uncommon 15. Orange root plant 17. Pertaining to sound 18. Vessel 20. Not subject to taxation Down 2. Fuss 3. Annoyed 4. Facial feature 5. Military person 6. Frost personified 7. Organizations 11. Predatory South American fish 13. Mob 16. Skin eruption 19. Knock vigorously Bxe6+ Kc7 Rd7+ Kb8 Rh5 (Nxc6+) b5 Rh8# Nxc6+ Ka8 Ra7# FOOTBALL Depression widespread in professional football - FIFPro PROFESSIONAL footballers suffer more from depression and anxiety than the general public, with more than a third of cur- rent and former players report- ing symptoms, according to a study by the world players' un- ion FIFPro. Of 826 players surveyed, 38 percent of current players and 35 percent of former profession- als said they faced problems at some stage, especially if they had suffered serious injuries. In the general population, the figure is between 13 and 17 per- cent. The survey also reveals that current players who have suf- fered three or more severe inju- ries are four times more likely to report mental health problems than other footballers. Former Professional Foot- ballers' Association chairman Clarke Carlisle revealed ear- lier this year that he attempted suicide in December 2014 while suffering from depression. The findings were released on the same day that Carlisle told the BBC that some sports are "failing to address" the issue of mental health. FIFPro had carried out a pilot study on the issue in 2013 and the latest research shows the scale of mental health problems among players is far more seri- ous than the earlier research showed. "We hope that with this study comes increased awareness and commitment from all stakehold- ers in football to put supportive measures in place so that those suffering from mental health problems know they are not alone," FIFPro's Chief Medical Officer Vincent Gouttebarge said. "The findings in the current study might justif y a multidis- ciplinary approach to a severely injured footballer. "After surgery, the responsible team doctor and the orthopaedic surgeon should be aware of the potential occurrence of symp- toms of mental health problems which may accompany a serious injury. "This awareness might al- low the early treatment of such health conditions, a better and safer return to sports, and the application of supportive meas- ures to prevent the development of severe mental disorders in the long term," Gouttebarge added. Data for the survey was gath- ered from interviews with cur- rent and former professional players across 11 countries on three continents. More than half of those questioned played at the highest level in their country for the majority of their careers. • Fifpro chief medical officer: 'The study is a necessary first step' • 38% of 607 players interviewed reported symptoms at some stage Former PFA chairman Clarke Carlisle has battled with depression and tried to take his own life in December last year.